SIU ‘not aware’ of reasons for suspension of Gauteng health department head Lesiba Malotana

The head of the Gauteng Department of Health and Wellness, Lesiba Malotana, has been placed on suspension with immediate effect. 

Malotana’s suspension, enacted by premier Panyaza Lesufi on Tuesday, 14 October, comes as the province’s Department of Health and Wellness is mired in allegations of corruption and maladministration, most recently due to the release of a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) interim report revealing the looting of more than R2-billion from Tembisa Hospital by three coordinated syndicates.

Read more: SIU reveals staggering scale of Tembisa Hospital’s devastating R2-billion fraud network

The grounds for Malotana’s suspension were not made clear in the Gauteng government’s announcement on Tuesday. However, it said that it reaffirmed its “full support for the work of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and other law enforcement agencies”. It remained “steadfast” in its commitment to rooting out maladministration and to upholding the “highest standards of accountability and ethical leadership”.

When Daily Maverick asked the SIU about Malotana’s suspension, spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said: “The Special Investigating Unit is not aware of the reasons behind the suspension of the Gauteng Department of Health’s HOD… The SIU’s investigations into the affairs of the Gauteng Department of Health are ongoing and are at a sensitive stage. Therefore, we cannot disclose any information at this time.”

Lesufi has appointed Dr Darion Barclay, the current head of the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, as acting head of the Department of Health and Wellness.

The provincial government noted that the Premier’s Office would make the signed performance agreements of all members of the executive council available to the public on Thursday, 16 October.

Daily Maverick approached the Gauteng Premier’s Office, the provincial government spokesperson and the Department of Health and Wellness for further information about Malotana’s suspension, and their responses will be included once they become available.

In a statement released on 14 October, DA Gauteng health spokesperson Madeleine Hicklin said the party was demanding the immediate firing of Malotana, rather than his suspension with full pay.

“For years, this nonperforming [head of department] has received high-level protection from premier Panyaza Lesufi despite his name being linked to numerous scandals,” said Hicklin.

Signs of scandal

Malotana was appointed acting head of the Gauteng Department of Health and Wellness in April 2023. When his appointment became permanent in mid-2024 it was met by significant backlash from the DA and the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration.

In September 2024, the DA launched a petition calling on Lesufi to remove Malotana as head of the Gauteng health department, stating that he was under investigation for allegedly taking part in an R8-million bribe.

In the same month, Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration chairperson Jan de Villiers requested that the Public Service Commission (PSC) investigate Malotana to determine whether correct procedures had been followed in his appointment.

“The investigation is about possible irregularities relating to Mr Malotana’s application forms and declared qualifications to determine whether the incumbent has the required master’s degree for the position,” read the portfolio committee’s statement, dated 11 September 2024.

“It was also alleged that Mr Malotana’s appointment was processed despite a Special Investigating Unit investigation into a tender-rigging scheme, where he allegedly shared R8-million in bribes with two other officials.”

The allegations relating to Malotana’s involvement in a R8-million bribe stem from an amaBhungane report, published in April 2023, in which a former service provider at the Gauteng health department went on record implicating Malotana and two other senior officials in a tender-rigging scheme.

At the time, amaBhungane reported that all those implicated in the scheme denied wrongdoing. Malotana was quoted as saying he had “fully cooperated” with ongoing investigations.

Tembisa Hospital saga

Though not confirmed, a key factor in Malotana’s suspension may be the recent revelations related to the SIU’s investigation of corruption and maladministration at Tembisa Hospital. The investigation found a comprehensive disregard for duty by hospital officials and members of the Gauteng Department of Health and Wellness, with negligence and a failure of basic oversight providing fertile ground for the massive looting of public funds.

The SIU investigation was authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2023, following the high-profile assassination of whistle-blower Babita Deokaran in August 2021. The SIU’s interim report on the matter was released on 29 September 2025.

The SIU identified at least 15 current and former officials involved in activities such as corruption, money laundering, collusion and bid-rigging with improperly appointed service providers at Tembisa Hospital. 

In its statement on Malotana’s suspension, the DA described him as a “nonperforming HOD” who had overseen “one scandal after another” at the Gauteng Department of Health and Wellness. DM

This article was updated on 14 October ay 18H00 to include comment from the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration.